The Price That Must be Paid
by Elizabeth Bathory
Summary: With fame and fortune there is always a price to be paid and Tony gets a strong dose of it in the worst way.
1. Chapter 1

The Price That Must be Paid

By Elizabeth Bathory

The Stark mansion was largely quiet except for the sound of the TV playing in the sun filled living room. The upstairs was not as brightly lit though as Pepper Potts waited outside Tony's closed bedroom door. The night before Tony started complaining about feeling lousy and when he awoke in the morning complaining of chills, sore throat, muscle pains, weakness, fatigue and severe headache while coughing his head off so his voice took on a more sandpaper baritone sound rather than his usual tones which could make certain women honey in his hands. Tony had even felt bad enough to let Pepper call a doctor for him, especially when Jarvis said he had a fever of 103.

As soon as the door opened, Pepper snapped back out of her lull in activity and back to Tony's side. Tony was pulling his sweatshirt back on and gratefully laying back down as Pepper pulled his blankets back up to his shoulders and the doctor was writing out a prescription.

"Well, it looks like our boy here has a decent case of the flu here with a nasty respiratory infection on top of it." He explained as he handed Pepper the prescription. "That is for the antibiotics for the respiratory infection. For the rest, bed rest, lots of fluids, no alcohol and none of your extracurricular activities for at least the next ten days. If you don't listen, it will be longer."

"If you haven't noticed, I kinda have a girlfriend here," Tony rasped out as he gave the doctor a dark look.

"I am not referring to that, Mr. Stark. I am referring to that red and gold toy you have that lands you on the evening news."

Tony didn't say anything and Pepper just smiled as she tucked the blankets around Tony. "No need to worry about that. He'll listen." Pepper said to the doctor as she thanked him, showed him out and called the pharmacy to send over the prescription as well as a good supply of Advil, Day and Nyquil and Theraflu.

By the time she got back to Tony's bedroom, Tony was sleeping again. She set a glass of juice down and his first doses of medicine for him on his nightstand and had Jarvis darken the room for him. Sleep was the best thing for him at the moment but Pepper knew that if she left for any reason without telling him, she would never hear the end of it.

Pepper stroked Tony's hair gently until he stirred ever so slowly. After another round of harsh coughs racked his body again, Tony looked up at Pepper with a sleepy smile. "Hi…" he whispered since his voice was useless for much else. "Come to join me and keep me company?"

"No Tony," Pepper said as she kissed his forehead. "I was coming to tell you that I have to leave for the American Heart Association auction now."

Tony gave her a confused look. "You're leaving me here when I'm sick…wait a second…what auction?"

"The bachelor/bachelorette auction that you yourself convinced me to go into to represent Stark Industries," Pepper told him with a smile. "Now, I have put your medicine and some juice there for you. I'll only be gone for a few hours and you probably won't even notice that I'm missing because you should be sleeping."

"I think I might have only suggested that because I would be there to make sure that you didn't end up with a freak or something," Tony whispered. "But now, with me sick, you should probably skip it and stay here with me."

"Nice try, Tony," Pepper said sweetly since she did have to admire his skills of persuasion even when he feels this bad. "Go to sleep and I will be back in a few hours. You heard what the doctor said…bed rest and not much else for the next ten days or else you get grounded for longer."

"But Pepper…" Tony whined.

Pepper quickly hushed him. "It's for a good cause and it would not look good if I don't show up. Go to sleep and I will be back in a few hours. I love you, Tony." She told him before ordering Jarvis to not let him anywhere near his workshop.

"I love you too." Tony whispered as the lights dimmed and he watched Pepper walk out of the door.

The grand ballroom of the Montage Beverly Hills was decorated from top to bottom in shades of red. Centerpieces of red roses, candles and crystal candelabras decorated every table to keep with the theme. Everything resembled Valentine's Day with an autumn twist.

The bachelor/bachelorette auction started promptly at eight after the cocktail hour. Each of the top corporate sponsors had one employee sign up where their company could be bought for the night and all the costs went as donations for the America Heart Association. To keep things fair and so no one would know exactly how much each company donated, the auction of each person went alphabetically by corporation so Stark Industries was towards the end.

Pepper watched with a bit of nervousness as the others went up before her. It was a little unnerving to know that a night with her was going to be bid on by all the men in the room. The totals were a bit intimidating as well. Several of them got into the hundreds of thousands.

"For our next lovely lady, we have Virginia Potts of Stark Industries, executive assistant to CEO Tony Stark. Shall we open the bidding at five thousand dollars?"

"Five!" a voice called from the back.

"Ten!" another voice called out.

"Twenty!" a quieter voice called out, seemingly closer to the front.

"Twenty-five…"

"Fifty…" the voice from the front called again.

"Sixty…"

"One-twenty…" the voice called from the front again and again doubling the highest bid.

"Two-fifty…"

Then there was a pause.

"We have a high bid at two hundred fifty thousand…going once…going twice…"

"One million!" the voice called out from the front one last time and this time they stepped out of the crowd so they could be identified.

Pepper stopped breathing for a moment when she saw Tony step out of the crowd in his tuxedo. It surprised her that she didn't recognize his voice at first but considering how sick he is, it all made sense.

"Mr. Stark…that's a large sum of money…" the auctioneer said.

"And she's worth every penny so close the deal already." Tony said roughly, his voice still incredibly raw despite the fact he was trying to hide it. His smile was unmistakable though at Pepper's red satin dress with black lace over it. If he had been feeling better, he would have had fun getting her out of it.

The auctioneer nodded and banged the gavel. "Virginia Potts goes to Tony Stark for the new record of one million dollars."

Tony offered his hand to Pepper to help her down from the stage as he led her to the dance floor, pulling her close to him as they moved with the music.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in bed." Pepper whispered as she brushed a stray hair away from his eyes only to feel his fever-flushed skin. "You're burning up."

"Jarvis said it was 102 when I left the house." Tony admitted. "But I couldn't bear the thought of another man even attempting to get you…even for one night. You can call me jealous and I'll wholly admit to it. I love you and I'm going to be selfish."

"You did not have to do this. I would have danced with you any time you asked." Pepper whispered as she saw the dark circles under his eyes and how pale his skin was except for the fever flush. "How are you doing this anyway?"

"Double shot of Dayquil with an Advil chaser," Tony stated as he cleared his throat. "Which you know is going to wear off by the time we are going home and I'll probably pass out in the limo."

"Thank god Happy drove you," Pepper sighed. "I think I would have thrown a fit if I found out you drove yourself."

"Jarvis and Happy ganged up on me when I attempted to and then Butterfingers knocked my keys out of my hands." Tony admitted sheepishly as he closed his eyes to fight back the pain of the headache that was coming back.

"Let's go home. You need to be in bed." Pepper told him as Tony moved to lean his head against hers.

"Will you be with me?" he whispered as he acquiesced to her request to go home.

"Yes but for sleep only." Pepper cautioned as she took his hand and signaled Happy. "Because I want you better and then I will make it up to you."

"Ooh…I like the incentives," Tony said with a laugh that led to a harsh coughing fit.

The next morning, Pepper was going through her usual morning routine – coffee and a muffin, checking the emails and phone messages and then added in the clearing of Tony's schedule until he recovered.

"Ms. Potts, Colonel Rhodes is coming up the drive with some urgency." Jarvis interrupted. "Shall I let him in?"

"Of course, Jarvis."

No sooner the words left Pepper's mouth, Rhodey was coming in the front door, a little out of breath but deadly serious. "Pepper, where is he?" he demanded.

"He's still asleep. What's wrong?"

"Has he been here all night?"

"Yes except for a benefit that he was at with me that he shouldn't have gone to." Pepper replied. "What is going on?"

"Pepper, I have to talk to him now." Rhodey insisted.

"He's very sick and I am not waking him up."

Rhodey sighed and grabbed Pepper's shoulders with some urgency, trying to get the severity of his point across. "Pepper, if I don't get some answers right now from Tony's own mouth, there will be a fleet of Federal Agents here in about two hours to throw him in jail…"


	2. Chapter 2

"Pepper, if I don't get some answers right now from Tony's own mouth, there will be a fleet of Federal Agents here in about two hours to throw him in jail…" Rhodey screamed out in frustration.

"What?!" Pepper asked in confusion. What in hell could Tony have done that could lead to Federal agents coming to arrest him? "Tell me exactly what is going on…now." Pepper said as she started up the stairs with Rhodey fast on her heels.

"Last night in London, there was an armory explosion. It was a government armory that was known to be stocked with Stark weaponry. There were witnesses that claimed to see Iron Man at the scene just before the explosion. Now the FBI, Scotland Yard and Interpol want face time with Tony and they want him in jail for this if he did it. They are calling it an act of terrorism and a treaty violation and some are even going as far as treason." Rhodey explained frantically.

"That's impossible. He was with me last night and he would never go after an ally. Great Britain has been a loyal Stark Industries customer since Howard ran it." Pepper exclaimed as she opened Tony's bedroom door. "Aside from the fact that he's too sick to have done it. He can barely make it out of bed and it probably took 10,000 gallons of willpower and stubbornness to get him to the benefit last night. Jarvis, ease the lights up as Tony wakes up but not before. I don't want to shock him."

"Of course Ms. Potts."

Rhodey looked into Tony's bedroom as Pepper opened the door and was quite taken back by what he saw. Tony, still sound asleep, looked like he was dead. He looked worse than the time that Rhodey found him on the floor of his workshop after Obadiah had ripped the arc reactor out of his chest.

Something else stood out as well. Both sides of Tony's bed had been slept in. Now given the fact that he and Tony had been roommates in MIT, Rhodey knew certain facts. Number one, unless he had a nightmare, Tony didn't move much when he slept. A bomb could go off right next to his head and he wouldn't move, which probably came with the territory of being the son of a weapons designer. Number two, unless he had company, Tony only stayed on one side of the bed. So that only led to one conclusion.

"Pepper? How long have you and Tony been you and Tony?" Rhodey asked Pepper as she sat on the side of Tony's bed and tried to wake him as gently as possible.

Pepper winced a little bit when Rhodey asked that question as bluntly as he did. Apparently Tony had kept their secret even from his best friend. She looked over briefly at the Colonel before looking back at Tony. "Since we got stuck in Kansas back in June." She answered quietly.

"Four months? You two have been a couple for four months and no one knew about it? Why wasn't I told at least?" Rhodey shouted.

"Because you have a tendency to overreact, Platypus," came a tired and scratchy voice from under the mound of blankets. The windows brightened up slowly, filling the room with sunlight as Pepper helped Tony to sit up. "Then again you haven't been over too much lately." Tony added as he rubbed his eyes and saw the rather serious expression on Rhodey's face. "But I am guessing this isn't a visit to your sick best friend?"

"Sadly no. This is far more official than that." Rhodey stated as he took a deep breath. "Tony, I have to ask you some questions in a somewhat official capacity. Your answers will determine the next course of action. Do I have your permission to record this?"

Tony got a very bad feeling very quickly. "Yes, you do. Should I have my lawyers here?"

"You'll need them later." Rhodey confirmed.

No sooner the words came out of Rhodey's mouth, Pepper was on the phone with the best of Tony's legal team.

Rhodey sighed as he started the tape recorder. "Where were you last night?"

"I was at home most of the night except from about eight to eleven when I was at a benefit with Pepper." Tony answered, trying to fight back a coughing jag as he did it.

"Is there anyone who can confirm that you were at the benefit last night?" Rhodey asked.

Tony nodded. "Besides for Pepper, there were about three hundred people there who saw me bid on her during the auction. What is this about?"

"Was Pepper with you all night?"

"Except for about an hour when she went ahead to the benefit before me. Tell me what this is about." Tony demanded.

Rhodey grabbed the remote off of Tony's nightstand and turned on CNN. On the screen was the aftermath of the London explosion, alternating visions of live coverage interlaced with repeat footage of the armory explosion.

"When did this happen?" Tony asked, very confused about what was going on.

"At approximately four in the morning London time, eight in the evening local time, the Royal Armory exploded and witnesses claim that they saw Iron Man at the scene just before the explosion." Rhodey stated methodically.

"That's not possible." Tony stated as he watched the images on his TV. "I didn't go out in the suit last night. I can't. Jarvis and Pepper set it up so if I am not at full capacity, they have override power on the suit. Jarvis? When did I last go out in the suit?"

"Two weeks ago, sir. It was a very successful trip to Pakistan. The suit has not been used since then."

Tony then turned to Rhodey. "That was not me and I can provide the proof on that." He said with utmost seriousness before turning to Pepper. "Get my lawyers on the phone and set up an appointment for half an hour. Tell them it will have to be via video feed. Also, call my doctor and get him to sign an affidavit saying that he was here yesterday treating me for the flu and the respiratory infection. After that, with the lawyers' approval and presence, set up a press conference at Stark Industries…I have to address this quickly."

"Maybe you should do the press conference via video as well?" Pepper suggested as she quickly noted everything Tony was saying in her BlackBerry. "You really shouldn't be out of bed again." She added with concern.

"But if I don't go there personally, they will think I am faking it for some reason. They will doubt that I am actually sick and rip me apart. They are going after my name here and I have to put myself out there to defend it." Tony stated as anger slipped into his voice only to be accompanied by another bout of coughing as well as the aches and chills. "Jarvis? I need you to compile a series of files for my attorneys and the feds. Without any editing of any sort, put together all the security tapes from every room in the mansion for the last seventy-two hours as well as the data from my last Iron Man mission."

"As you wish sir. Files will be ready in ten minutes."

Tony slumped back against his pillows in exhaustion as he tried to catch his breath. His head was throbbing. His whole body ached. His fever still hadn't broken and he was having trouble breathing. He generally felt like shit and now this happened.

"Tony, why don't you try to go back to sleep before you have to meet with the lawyers?" Pepper suggested gently, more in girlfriend mode rather than assistant mode.

"If I do, I'm not waking up again for a while." Tony sighed as he looked over to the medications on his nightstand. "And I can't take any of those until after either. Half of them make my head fuzzy and the other half knocks me out."

"You are putting yourself through needless suffering here," Pepper told him.

"I didn't stop Obie soon enough when he was trampling over my father's name and now someone is doing it to me directly. I'm innocent and I want everyone to know that. I didn't do this." Tony stated as firmly as he could. "Now, can you two help me out here? I want to go down stairs."

"Tony, I don't think your lawyers would object to you being in bed when you're obviously ill." Rhodey stated.

"They might not but I do," Tony growled out as coughs racked his battered body again. "If I had time, I would shower and get dressed first but given the state of affairs here, I am guessing it will take nearly half an hour for me to get downstairs. This flu is kicking my ass but I do still have my pride. And you know damn well that you would do the same damn thing."

Rhodey saw the conviction behind that statement in his best friend's eyes and he couldn't argue with it. All he could do was help Pepper get a very weak and somewhat unstable Tony down to the living room.

Twenty minutes later, Tony, in his flannel bathrobe, MIT sweatshirt and pajama pants, was seated as comfortably as possible in one of the chairs in his living room with a warm blanket draped over him and with a cup of herbal tea with lemon next to him while Pepper and Rhodey took their seats near him on the couch.

"Sir? I have a video feed coming in via the conference line." Jarvis interjected.

"Put it through," Tony ordered. Soon enough five of his thousand dollar an hour lawyers were in front of him, including his two sharks that had experience with defense in criminal cases. The first shark was a man in his fifties that had once worked for Howard. The other and stronger shark was a woman in her late thirties who had a definite reputation for ripping people apart during cross examinations and was meticulous with details.

"I have sent over all my security files from the mansion as well as the data from my suit. Those alone will prove that I was incapable of what happened. I also have an alibi as well." Tony stated.

"We will need sworn statements from your alibi of course. Just the information you have given us so far will at least stave off the FBI and Interpol for the moment."

"I will give you anything you need." Tony affirmed as he tried to force the urge to cough back again. "I did not do this and I have nothing to do with it."

"We will make sure they know that. That is what you pay us for, Mr. Stark." One of them stated. "By the way, feel better. I don't think there will be any doubts to how ill you are when they see you."

"Are there any restrictions to a press conference this afternoon?" Pepper asked before Tony could come in with a smart remark.

"None at the moment but we will be there to make sure of it. Three o'clock, correct?"

"Yes at Stark Industries." Pepper confirmed before the screen went dark.

By the time they had to start getting ready for the press conference, the only medication Tony had in him was the antibiotic for the respiratory infection since he had to take it at the same time every day so the rest of his symptoms were ravaging him. He shivered with the chills under the hot water in the shower. It hurt every time he moved because of the muscle aches. He still had a fever of over 101. His head hurt so badly that he was squinting in even the dimmest lights in the house and the coughing and itchy eyes were just plain pissing him off now.

Tony took a hold of Pepper's hand as he slowly walked to the limo. He had on his best black suit and his darkest sunglasses possible and the sun was still hurting his eyes as he slumped back against the seats of the car. He was exhausted by now since he never was able to go back to sleep and he was totally drained and running on his last reserves to get through this.

Pepper hated having her hands tied with this. She had to sit back and watch Tony suffer until this was done and she could do very little. That alone drove her nuts. Just in the car ride from the mansion to Stark Industries was maddening. Pepper could tell how exhausted Tony was and how much he was fighting just to stay upright as he watched silently out the window and there was nothing she could do to make him feel better. It hurts so much to see someone you love in pain.

The story had broken on the morning news so by the time three o'clock came around, the feeding frenzy had begun. The press and photographers had spilled out of Stark Industries out to the street waiting for Tony to arrive. The limo would have been mobbed if it wasn't for the force of Tony's security force. Happy held back the crowd as best as he could as Tony walked inside, holding Pepper's hand and keeping himself as straight as possible despite how badly this was affecting him.

The press secretary flanked by Tony's high powered attorneys took the podium and the crowd quieted. "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Stark has a statement he would like to present and please save all questions until the end. Ladies and gentlemen…Anthony Stark, CEO of Stark Industries International…"


	3. Chapter 3

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Stark has a statement he would like to present and please save all questions until the end. Ladies and gentlemen…Anthony Stark, CEO of Stark Industries International…"

Just before stepping out in front of the firing squad, Tony took one last private moment in the back room with Pepper to give him the strength he needed. He held her close to him and kissed her cheek gently before stepping up to the podium.

"Good afternoon," Tony started as he pulled a few cards out of his jacket pocket and coughed briefly. "I have a statement I would like to make in response to the events in Great Britain this morning." He started as he put the cards down and was not looking at them. "At approximately four this morning, London time, an explosion was triggered in the Royal Armory and it has been claimed that this was done by Iron Man. I am going on the record and saying that I had absolutely no part in this terrible event. My attorneys and I have provided the FBI, Scotland Yard and Interpol with various items of proof to show that I could not even be considered in this act. I have agreed to help the authorities in anyway possible to bring to justice the person or people who did commit this act of terrorism as a further proof of my innocence in this matter." By the time Tony had finished his statement, the fever was making him sweat and he held on to the podium to keep himself standing. "I will take a few questions at this time."

"Mr. Stark, how did you find out about the incident?"

"On CNN this morning like everyone else."

"Where were you last night when the incident happened?"

One of the lawyers stepped forward. "Mr. Stark was at a benefit attended by 300 other people and then at home with his girlfriend."

"Mr. Stark, how do we know you didn't pay for your alibi? You do have the money to do that."

"My alibi is my assistant, Virginia Potts and she will attest under oath to my whereabouts all evening."

"If Ms. Potts is your alibi for the majority of the evening, that seems pretty convenient, don't you think?"

"Ms. Potts is almost always with me or knows exactly where I am at all times…it is the nature of our relationship."

"Mr. Stark, you do want to get rid of all your weapons. Why would those being in a country the US is friends with stop you?"

"Great Britain has been a loyal ally to the United States and loyal customer to Stark Industries since my father founded the company. I am out to destroy the weapons that were obtained illegally and through black market deals by unfriendly powers. I have always supported the US and her allies across the globe."

"Can you explain why you look like death warmed over? Is this a stunt to make people believe that you were incapable of performing this act of terrorism?" Christine Everhart spoke up with a smug look on her face from the front row.

"To use your words, Ms. Everhart, I look like death warmed over because I am battling the flu and a respiratory infection. My doctor will attest to that. I am lucky to be standing here right now when I should be home in bed. As I have said, I am innocent of this."

Before Christine had another chance to slip another question in, the press secretary with the back up of the attorneys called an end to the press conference, giving Tony a very welcome break. He stepped off the podium and into the back room where Pepper and Rhodey were waiting for him.

"You did well, man. Thank you for sticking to the cards." Rhodey said with a smile as he patted Tony on the back.

"I didn't use the cards. I knew what I had to say…most of which was on the cards if I forgot," Tony mumbled as he fell into Pepper's open arms and rested his head on her shoulder. "Take me home, please."

"Happy is bringing the car around right now. He just needed to get it away from the press." Pepper whispered comfortingly as she stroked his hair, trying to soothe the man she loved who was obviously well past his limits.

Right on cue, Happy pulled up with the limo and opened the door for Tony and Pepper. Tony got in the car first and stretched out on the back seat, loosening his tie as he lay down.

"Happy, could you get the blanket out of the trunk?" Pepper asked quietly before she slid into the car.

"I already did, Ms. Potts." Happy replied as he pointed to the blue plaid blanket on the seat. "I figured that given the way the boss was looking when he left the house, he would need it."

"Thank you, Happy," Pepper said with a smile as she sat down in the back seat and covered Tony with the blanket as he moved so he was lying in her lap.

The ride home was short, too short for Tony to completely fall asleep but he was definitely close. Pepper felt him relax against her as she ran her fingers through his hair though she cringed a bit when she could hear his obviously labored breathing.

Once back at the house, Happy helped Pepper get Tony back upstairs since Rhodey had left from the press conference on his own. Pepper helped Tony get out of the suit and back into his pajamas and under the warm blankets so he could sleep and hopefully recover. As soon as he was comfortable, Pepper made sure he took the Nyquil and the Advil and had Jarvis turn out the lights. Tony was sound asleep in less than two minutes.

Over the next two days, Tony slept on average between sixteen and twenty hours per day and in the rare moments that he was awake, he was perfectly content to lie in bed and watch TV because just walking the seven feet to the bathroom exhausted him. It wasn't until the third day…fifth since he got sick and fourth since he saw the doctor…that a little spark of the old Tony appeared.

It was also on the third day when Rhodey bravely appeared at the mansion once more. The knock was a little more tentative than the rampage he had been on a few days earlier.

"Are you the bearer of bad news again or is this a social call?" Pepper asked from the couch as she glanced up from her computer when Jarvis opened the door.

"Social call," Rhodey responded. "Where is he?"

"He's up in his bedroom," Pepper replied as she offered Rhodey a seat.

"How's he doing?"

"He's getting a little better. His fever is down to about 100 now and the amount of rest he got over the last few days really did help. He tried to get down to his workshop this morning after breakfast because he apparently had an epiphany and needed to get on his computer at that very moment. Jarvis and I came up with a compromise that he could accept."

"Okay, that must have been one hell of a compromise. What did you do?"

"As long as he staid in bed and didn't overdo it, we agreed that he could have his laptop to explore his epiphany to wherever its final conclusion may be." Pepper stated. "That was a lot easier than fighting with him. Tony was getting very frustrated that he couldn't do anything to clear his own name and he was getting a bit snippy about it. At least this way, he feels that he's actually doing something productive."

"What exactly was his epiphany?" Rhodey asked cautiously.

"He wants to find the person who is trying to sabotage him." Pepper said simply. "He doesn't like being in the dark."

"I can understand that," Rhodey conceded. "Can I see him?"

"He should still be awake. He was a little while ago when I brought him his lunch." Pepper stated but then decided to make sure. "Jarvis? Is Tony still awake?"

"Yes, Ms. Potts. He is playing _Call of Duty 4 _on his Xbox 360 at the moment to 'clear his head' as he explained it."

"I'll go cover his back again," Rhodey said with a laugh as he headed up the stairs. "Those teenagers can be wicked shots when they want to be." He called down before he approached Tony's bedroom door and knocked sharply. "So what artillery are you using there?"

"M4A1 carbine but it just doesn't do enough damage," Tony said somewhat distantly as his eyes never moved from the game. "Some of my stuff would have worked so much better."

Rhodey took a few steps further into the bedroom, watching Tony's rather impressive video game skills that he still possessed before he surveyed the scene before him. The laptop that Pepper had mentioned had been pushed to the other side of the bed for the time being and the bowl from Tony's lunch sat empty on his nightstand. Unlike last time which Rhodey could have sworn that Tony was lying dead in that bed, he was sitting up, albeit propped up by his pillows but still sitting up. His voice was still a bit raw as he spoke but he sounded better and even looked a little better despite the fact that he hadn't shaved or showered in three days or walked further than the bathroom.

"You know you look like shit," Rhodey said with a smile as he pulled up a chair next to Tony's bed.

"Thanks," Tony replied sarcastically. "I'll remember that the next time you feel as bad as I do right now."

"I actually meant that as a compliment," Rhodey stated. "Before you looked dead so looking like shit is a step up."

"So what is a step up from looking like shit, Platypus?" Tony asked.

"Looking like hell." Rhodey shot back with a laugh. "So do you need some back up here?"

Tony didn't say anything. He just handed his other controller over to Rhodey.

After a few successful missions and strong victories, Rhodey wanted to see if he could crack into Tony's mind to see what he had been thinking.

"So what did you need the laptop for?" Rhodey asked absently.

"Pepper wouldn't let me go down to my workshop. Hell, Jarvis even locked down the elevator so I couldn't go down there. I wanted to investigate something." Tony stated as he tried to stifle a yawn…a yawn that did not go unnoticed.

"Jarvis, save Tony's game for him." Rhodey commanded as he took the controller out of Tony's hands and adjusted the pillows so he could lie down again. "So what were you investigating?"

Tony shot Rhodey a very dark look that would have had more force behind it if he didn't look so pathetically sick. "I wanted a better view of the explosion." Tony replied as he moved his laptop over and brought up the video of the armory explosion. He hit play and the whole situation was displayed on the screen.

"You didn't hack Interpol to get this, did you?" Rhodey asked as he watched the video that was being displayed in some serious detail.

"No, I did not hack Interpol or the FBI for that matter," Tony sighed. "I'm in enough trouble as it is at the moment and I am not going to willingly set myself up even deeper. This is just a security camera video. Not that I couldn't hack them. I've done it before to prove a point to them."

"What point were you trying to prove by committing a federal crime?"

"That their security system sucked." Tony said smugly. "I had offered them mine for a nominal fee but they declined so I had to prove a point to them. My security system, which I programmed myself, takes three weeks of constant work to get through it. Some hacks take a while to get in and they take breaks. If you take more than a few seconds to respond to something, it locks you out and keeps you out. I hacked the FBI mainframe in three hours half in the bag. They still didn't get this hint though." Tony said with a small laugh that led to a sharp coughing jag. "If I do it this time, I want their permission."

"So what were you looking for on this video?"

"I was looking for the imposter." Tony stated as he pointed to a fuzzy blob on one frame of the video. "And I found him. Jarvis is trying to clean it up but he said it was going to take a little while."

"What do you plan on doing with this information once you uncover it?" Rhodey asked cautiously.

"There's not much I can do except for giving my findings to my lawyers and the feds," Tony sighed. "But there is something you can do…"

"No Tony. I am not getting involved with this."

"I wouldn't be asking if I could. I just need some first hand recon from the actual site and someone watching my back when I get better and go after this asshole."

"Do you even realize what you are asking me to do?" Rhodey asked.

Tony nodded. "And besides for Pepper, there's no one else that I would trust more."

By the time Jarvis had finished cleaning up the security camera video; Tony had fallen asleep again leaving Pepper to entertain Rhodey on her own. The only clue that they got that Jarvis had finished at all was the very loud expletive shouted out from Tony's bedroom. As soon as the '_Holy Shit_' had hit the living room, Pepper and Rhodey ran up the stairs to see what had happened.

When they got to the bedroom door, the first job was to calm Tony down. He had sat straight up and went pale and started hyperventilating when he saw what he did.

"Tony, what's wrong? What happened?" Pepper asked as she rubbed his back to try to calm him down.

"They have my armor," Tony gasped out as the ragged breaths soon turned to harsh coughs. "The one I built in Afghanistan. They rebuilt it. That's why they thought they saw Iron Man."

Rhodey turned the computer screen and hit play and as sure as Tony had said it, the bomber was walking around in a metal suit that looked a great deal like a bulky version of the Iron Man armor or just a smaller version of what Obadiah had concocted. He had never seen exactly how Tony got out of the caves. All Rhodey knew about was a large explosion where Tony had been held and a projectile of some sorts coming from it.

"How is it being powered?" Rhodey asked.

"Only one thing can power it that efficiently," Tony stated as he tapped his chest. "I only made three of these. The first one, which is in my workshop…the second one Obie stole and this one," he said as he tapped the one in his chest and then pointed at the bright light on the screen, sitting straight up as he did so. "How in hell did that person get that one? This is like living a horrible nightmare over and over." Tony exclaimed as he closed his eyes tightly and covered them with his hands. The dull ache that had been ever present in his head had erupted with such a force that it brought tears to his eyes.

Pepper pulled Tony close in a tight hug, not knowing what to say to even attempt to comfort him. She held him silently, rubbing his back to try to get him to calm down.

Rhodey had heard every word that Tony had said and something popped into his mind. "Who did the clean up after the explosion?" he asked Pepper. "I mean who had access to the reactor building."

"The SHIELD agents who were there took care of everything before the fire department and police got there." Pepper said somberly. "They got rid of anything that would not go along with their version of the story."

"So you're saying that no one else had access besides for us, Obadiah and Coulson and the five agents he had with him?" Rhodey confirmed.

"As far as I know but I wasn't exactly checking at the time," Pepper said dryly as she felt Tony pull away from her and when she looked into his tired eyes she saw the dreaded spark of an idea.

"Jarvis? Can you pull up the security feed from the night of the explosion?" Tony asked.

"I can try, sir, but the quality may not be at its most optimum level given the circumstances." Jarvis replied.

"Those cameras were designed to withstand the force of an atomic bomb going off. The arc reactor wasn't nearly that big. There should be something. Bring it up from when Obadiah arrived at the factory and go through the press conference the next morning." Tony stated as he was receiving puzzled looks from both Rhodey and Pepper.

"Of course, sir. I will prepare them now. Estimated time of completion…indeterminable at this moment…will be updated once data is retrieved." Jarvis stated.

"What's going through your head?" Pepper asked.

"You said only SHIELD agents were in the building after the explosion so I thought that maybe the security cameras may have picked up on something. Call Coulson and get a list of all the agents he had there…with photo IDs." Tony exclaimed with excitement. If the tapes showed anything, he was most definitely in the clear.

"Tony, are you posing the theory that a government agent stole the reactor and possibly sold it off to a terrorist group?" Rhodey asked.

"It's not entirely out of the realm of possibility," Tony stated. "Government officials and corruption go hand in hand like rum and coke."

"But we are talking a highly secure level of the government here…just under the CIA. I highly doubt that someone with even the inkling of a corrupt nature would even be allowed into it." Rhodey countered.

"Well, I didn't think that Obie was dealing to the black market under the table and planned to have me killed behind my back but he did." Tony spat back, growing angrier as he spoke. "He was my father's best friend and business partner and he tried to have me killed. Now, who would have pegged that one? I sorely hope that my father severely kicked his ass on his way to the seventh level of Hell." He shouted back. "I am not going insane over this. I am saying this is possible and I just need to find my proof. So you have two options, either help me or leave me the hell alone!"

The atmosphere in Tony's bedroom was quickly growing to something equivalent to a volcano ready to explode. Pepper had to get control here for all of their sakes. "Jim, would you meet me downstairs in a little bit?" she asked Rhodey calmly.

Rhodey nodded and wordlessly ducked out of Tony's bedroom and headed down to the living room.

Once Rhodey was gone, Pepper closed Tony's bedroom door and went back over to his bed to help him lie back down again, adjusting his pillows and blankets to make him as comfortable as possible.

Tony gratefully sunk back into the pillows behind him and curled into the blankets as harsh coughs ripped through him. When they stopped his head was pounding even harder than before and all he wanted was for it all to stop. "I'm not crazy and I'm not hallucinating." He whispered sadly with a sniff.

"I know you're not and so does Rhodey." Pepper said comfortingly as she stroked his hair. "You have a valid point and we'll help you look over it…Jarvis, Rhodey and me. But right now, you need to calm down and rest or you're just going to relapse again and have to stay in bed longer."

"How can I trust the feds to not foul the hell out of this?" Tony whispered. "It's my name they're dragging through the shit here."

"And when this is done, they will owe you an apology engraved in gold." Pepper reassured him. "But for now, you won't do any good if you don't consider your health right now." She added as she handed him two Advil, a dose of Nyquil and his antibiotics. "Take these and try to rest for now. We had a deal, remember? I let you have your laptop as long as you agreed to not push yourself beyond your limits, which is exactly what you were about to do."

Tony nodded as he shot the pills back and lay back down and closed his eyes. "Have Jarvis download some face and voice recognition software. The casinos in Vegas probably have the best ones." Tony mumbled sleepily.

"I'll do that if he hasn't already done so," Pepper said gently as she never stopped stroking his hair. "Now, go to sleep. I love you too much and it hurts me to see you sick."

It wasn't long before Pepper heard Tony's breathing even out. She lingered at his bedside for a few moments longer before asking Jarvis to turn out the lights and she headed back down to the living room.

"I got him to go to sleep," Pepper stated as she descended the stairs and saw Rhodey on the couch.

"Did you drug him? He usually doesn't go down that fast when his adrenaline is running that high." Rhodey commented.

"He did take his medicine but no I did not drug him. His brain is going faster than his body can keep up and it's exhausting him," Pepper commented as she sat down and opened up her laptop. "You didn't have to bait him though. What he needed was his best friend to support him and back him up, not shoot him down. This is hard enough for him."

"The idea did sound a little far fetched." Rhodey admitted.

"No, it didn't." Pepper countered as she started typing.

"What are you doing?"

"Sending an email to Agent Coulson requesting a list of IDs of all the personnel he had on site that night…just like Tony wanted." Pepper stated.

It was early evening by the time Pepper had received the email back from Coulson with his team listing for that night. Rhodey had left a few hours earlier, leaving Pepper in the silence of the mansion while Tony slept. She scanned it over briefly before uploading it to Jarvis' databases.

"Is there a progress update, Jarvis?" Pepper asked.

"Yes, Ms. Potts," Jarvis replied. "I have found the requested video feed from the security files and isolated a section that may be questionable but I have left the whole file in tact for Mr. Stark's perusal when he is well enough to do so. Now that I have the photos of the agents involved, I can see if any of them are flagged on doing anything that would be considered out of the ordinary."

"How long will that take?" Pepper asked.

"Estimated time of completion…sixty-four minutes," Jarvis replied. "And Mr. Stark is waking up and asking for you, Ms. Potts."

"Please tell him I will be right up." Pepper said as she set her laptop aside and went upstairs to Tony's bedroom.

The room was only dimly lit when Pepper cracked the door open to peek in. Tony was definitely waking up but still far too comfortable to move from his cocoon of blankets.

"Hi there…" he whispered with a small smile when he saw her in the door frame.

"Hi. How are you feeling?" Pepper asked as she kissed his temple.

"A little better. My head doesn't hurt as much now." Tony admitted with a sigh. "Is Rhodey still here? I probably owe him an apology."

"If he was still here, I think both of you would owe each other an apology." Pepper stated. "Jarvis said the files you wanted would be ready in a little over an hour. That gives us enough time for dinner if you're feeling up to it."

"I think I can handle some of the soup you made that I had for lunch." Tony said quietly.

Pepper brushed his cheek gently with her fingers. "I'll go get it so we can eat together tonight." She told him before she went downstairs.

About twenty minutes later, Pepper came back to Tony's room with two bowls of soup – one chicken noodle and one vegetable. She had gotten bored and decided to make enough for both of them for several days since soup seemed to be one of the few things that Tony was willing or able to eat at the moment.

"Okay, you get your choice here?" Pepper teased as she held the two bowls down for Tony even though she knew what he would pick.

Tony eyed both bowls and grabbed the chicken soup and dug in a little quickly, wincing when he burned his mouth. "Did you get a sudden burst of nesting instinct or something?" he asked in between bites.

"Not really, I just had a lot of time on my hands," Pepper said as she pulled up the chair next to his bed.

"You mean like now…" Tony said as he peeked at his clock. "Since we have to wait another forty minutes for Jarvis?"

"Yes…just like now…"


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Jarvis had finished compiling the videos and the data that had been requested, Tony and Pepper had eaten, cleaned up and Tony was threatening to doze off on them.

"Sir, are you ready to view the footage that you requested?"

"I have been ready for a while Jarvis. Let's get the show on the road here."

Six video screens came up on both Tony's laptop and the TV. One screen was the roof, four were different views around the arc reactor and the last was the parking lot outside of the building. The video came into focus at the moment Obadiah returned to Stark Industries after taking the arc reactor from Tony and showing him ducking into Sector 16 and closing the door behind him.

Tony winced at the memory and his hand absently flew to his chest almost out of a reflex he was unable to do when it happened. He had nearly died on his living room couch because of that and that was not easy to forget.

He fast forwarded a bit until the moment that Pepper showed up with five federal agents and Coulson and Tony started to commit their faces to memory as they broke into Sector 16. He had to admit that he wasn't thrilled with their methods of entrance. It wasn't long though before Obadiah's Iron Monger came out of the darkness and started chasing Pepper. Tony felt his blood boil at this again and his face quickly went from calm observer to pissed as hell and ready to kill.

Pepper felt Tony next to her just by the movement of the bed when Obadiah began chasing her. She silently took his hand to show him that she was still there and he didn't need to fly off the handle.

As Pepper took his hand, Tony saw himself come in at full speed and knock Obadiah to the street. He didn't need the video to remember being thrown into a bus and under a minivan. While the battle between two iron soldiers was going on, Tony scanned the screens for the agents. At least two were still in Sector 16 while the other three and Coulson were in the parking lot with Pepper.

Once everyone was counted for, Tony fast forwarded again to the roof up until the moment that Pepper overloaded the reactor – the true test. As the blast came up, the image fizzled for a bit, blacked out for 7.9 seconds and then returned to reveal the burned, destroyed and still burning wreckage of what was once his factory.

"Turn up the volume, Jarvis. I want to hear this." Tony commanded as he watched.

Jarvis complied and turned up the sound, the sounds of breaking glass and metal and fires and Pepper screaming Tony's name. As the smoke and debris cleared from the aftermath of the overload of the reactor, Tony could see Pepper climbing to the roof as fast as she could up with Rhodey and Agent Coulson following behind her. She had screamed out Tony's name but the lifeless body in red armor on the ground with the light from his arc reactor flickering faintly that was Tony was non responsive. She screamed his name as she shined the flashlight on his body for Rhodey and Coulson. Given the fact that Tony was unconscious at the time, this was the first time he had ever seen what had happened to him. All he remembered was waking up in bed the next morning.

"You have to get him out of there," Tony heard Pepper gasp out as she followed behind them. He watched as she knelt behind his body and cradled his head in her lap as Rhodey and Coulson got to work stripping him of the broken armor.

"Half of this is just falling off," Rhodey said with a grunt as he pulled off the battered chest piece and one of the arms. "Please tell me he's still alive and I am not doing this for his funeral."

Tony watched as Pepper put her fingers to his neck to find a pulse. "He's alive and he's going to stay that way."

"He needs to be in a hospital." Rhodey stated as he freed one of his legs.

"He needs to be home." Pepper countered as she looked down at Tony's broken form. "You know he will not consent to being in a hospital and he would check himself out as soon as he was able. If he is at home, I can make sure he rests and gets the time he needs to recover."

Tony had to smirk a little bit at this as he looked over at Pepper. "You know me too well."

"After this long, I would not be doing my job if I didn't." Pepper countered as she gently nudged his face back towards the video just as Rhodey and Coulson were carrying Tony down from the roof to Rhodey's truck.

"So that was how I got home," Tony exclaimed. "I am not sure whether I should be embarrassed or grateful."

"Go with gratitude on this one." Pepper urged as they saw Rhodey's truck drive off.

The SHIELD agents quickly went into action after Tony and Pepper had left. Many things were still on fire but they went into the building to clear up what could cause issues. Several of the agents freed Obadiah's body from the wreckage of his armor and took it to a waiting car.

Tony had trouble watching that. It was almost just as bad as identifying his parents' bodies after the car crash that had killed them.

After the body was gone, the agents again returned inside to grab the remainder of the Iron Monger suit as well as the original.

It was in the few moments between the removal of Obadiah's body and the agents' return for the rest of the suit that one agent stuck out. It was the one who had seemed interested in the computer with the plans earlier in the footage. He made sure he was alone before approaching the armor. He knelt down by the edge of the hole that the explosion had made over the armor, reached down, unlocked the reactor and put it in his pocket before anyone else had noticed.

Tony rewound the footage a bit and took a screen capture of the moment that the agent looked around to make sure he was alone and looked dead into the camera and saved it before forwarding it back to where he had left off.

The agents were loading both the Iron Monger armor and the original armor that Tony had built into an unmarked van that drove off quickly after everything was loaded and the fire department was arriving.

"Jarvis, stop the tape, save it and bring up the screen cap I just made." Tony ordered. The image of the agent's face was soon blown up on the screen. "Pepper, do you know who this is? Did Coulson send a list of everyone who was there?"

"Yes he did," Pepper said seriously. "And that man is dead. It was listed on his bio."

Tony swallowed hard. "Did it say when he died?"

Pepper shook her head. "No, just the fact that he was no longer alive."

"Looks like I'll need to ask the source directly," Tony exclaimed as he grabbed his laptop.

_**TO: Coulson**_

_**FROM: Anthony Stark**_

_**CC: FBI, INTERPOL**_

_**BCC: sharks**_

_**RE: a question and information**_

_**Coulson,**_

_**I was going over some of my security footage from the night of the explosion and I found some very interesting bits of information that could help my case. Attached is my security footage from that night unaltered. I have reason to believe that something that belonged to me was stolen that night by one of the agents that were involved with the clean up, one who is deceased, and that stolen item ended up in the hands of the terrorist that attacked the London armory. Look this over and give it to the proper authorities and if possible, I would like to know the circumstances and date of the agent's death.**_

_**Tony Stark**_

Tony hit send and within moments a reply was in his inbox.

_**TO: ****Anthony Stark**_

_**FROM: Coulson**_

_**RE: a question and information**_

_**The agent died two months ago. His body was found with several stab wounds on a pier outside a warehouse in New York. His assailant has yet to be found.**_

"This is getting more interesting here." Tony commented aloud but more to himself as he replied to Coulson.

_**TO: Coulson**_

_**FROM: ****Anthony Stark**_

_**RE: a question and information**_

_**There may be a connection between these two cases and I may be able to help. Getting the footage of the bombing and my security feed was easy but I will need a few more permissions for this. Get me the clearance and permissions to access some more secure video feeds and I am sure both of us will get our answers.**_

Tony sent this one a little more hesitantly. He was essentially asking for permission to hack into secure footage was reserved typically only for those in a law enforcement capacity when he was essentially wanted for a crime at the moment.

Hours had gone by before a response had been received. It was past one in the morning when the faint sound of an incoming email alerted Jarvis who in turn woke Tony and Pepper, but not intentionally.

"Sir, Agent Coulson has responded."

Tony blinked a few times as his brain registered what Jarvis had just said. "Bring it up, Jarvis." Tony said through a yawn.

The email opened on Tony's computer screen with a list of about ten different codes and a very short message – _**"You will be monitored and any thing that could be perceived as criminal activity will result in your immediate arrest."**_

Tony saved the codes to his computer and closed the email, his hands shaking as he did so. "I'm going to have to tread carefully or Afghanistan will look like a vacation." He stated seriously as he lay back down to attempt to sleep for the night.

The next morning, Tony was up before six to try and find what he was searching for. He tried to go down to his workshop to scour over potential hours of video feed once he hacked into them but Pepper stopped him at his bedroom door, tucked him back into bed with a cup of coffee and his laptop and left him to work.

"You know this would go a hell of a lot faster in my workshop where I can have three computers doing this simultaneously!" Tony called out the door.

Pepper poked her head back in. "But up here I can keep an eye on you to make sure that you don't over do it. You still have a low grade fever and that cough and I will not have you relapse again due to your stubbornness in listening to directions so deal with it."

Tony flinched a little in surprise at the hint of ice in Pepper's voice. "Ouch…someone switch your latte this morning or something?" he commented as he pulled up a few files and blew Pepper a kiss before she ducked out.

It took a little over two hours to hack into the Port Authority's website, a task that could have easily taken ten without the gift of the access codes. After getting in, Tony realized that getting in was the easy part. The logistics of the search he wanted to try were daunting. New York Harbor consisted of 750 total piers and docks, 1100 warehouses with nearly 1.5 square miles of enclosed space that would have to be gone over from the night of the explosion to August when the agent in question died to explore any and all possibilities.

Tony slumped back against his pillows as a string of whispered expletives slipped out as he looked at this. "This is nearly goddamn impossible," he breathed out, almost defeated. "Okay, we'll have to do this systematically. Coulson said this guy died outside a warehouse with several stab wounds so he wouldn't be going too far. Jarvis, start a scan of every video feed from every pier with a warehouse on it in August. Scan them with facial and audio recognition and if this bastard pops up, show it to me."

"Yes sir but I must warn you that this will take some time even at full capacity," Jarvis interjected.

"I know but this is important," Tony sighed as he tried to pull up anything else that could possibly help such as access records and shipping manifests.

More than twelve hours later, Jarvis flagged a video from Pier 50 on August 20 at three in the morning. The agent that they were looking for showed up at a nearly empty warehouse since it was reserved for overflow on shipping. Tony turned up the sound so he could hear what was exchanged between the agent in question and a larger man who appeared to be Middle Eastern.

"This is what you asked for, isn't it?" the agent said as he held out the reactor.

The other man took it with admiration. "Yes, this is what was described to me and what I saw on my brother's tapes. The final piece to recreating the armor that led to my brother's end."

"Where's the money you promised me? I am really sticking my neck out here for that." The agent shot back.

The other man moved closer to the agent. "Payment…pardon me, I forgot," he said calmly as he stepped closer yet again and with a quick flick of his wrist, rammed what appeared to be a knife right into the stomach of the agent. "This is your payment. I have no use for traitors." He stated as he twisted the blade to pull it out and shoved it into his body at least three more times. "Infidels like you stand in the way of a true power but soon that will be no more."

The agent staggered out of the warehouse as the other man slipped unnoticed through the shadows. The agent took no more than ten steps before he fell dead just outside of the door.

"Jarvis, do we have any data on the sand viper there?"

"According to the databases I have access to; we have no information on this individual." Jarvis replied.

"Damn it," Tony hissed. "Fine, let the feds do their own work here. Bundle up the video and all the saved data and email it to the feds and my lawyers."

"Of course sir. Consider it done."

Four days went by without a single word. After Tony's fever finally broke and he finished the antibiotics, Pepper finally let him back down to his workshop for one and only reason…he was driving her nuts being confined to the living room with nothing to do and no where to go since the feds had not yet fixed their foul up.

Once he was allowed back down into his workshop, Tony threw himself head first into the suit to make sure it was ready to blow the shit out of anything or anyone who put him through this hell. He had made a few slight improvements and was aching to take them for a test flight but Pepper and Jarvis still put the squash on that one.

With the sound of heavy bass thumping through the speakers at full volume, Tony never heard Pepper come down the stairs until she was right behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"You scared the hell out of me!" Tony exclaimed as he dropped the screwdriver in his hand. "What is it?"

"There's an FBI agent on the phone for you," Pepper stated seriously. "It's on a video feed."

Tony nodded and ran upstairs. Normally he would have just transferred the call but it wasn't like he wanted the feds snooping in his workshop.

"What do you want?" Tony snapped harshly to the agent in front of him, crossing his arms over his chest as a murderous glare took over.

"Thanks to the information you sent us, we were able to figure out a name to go along with the death of one of our agents."

"Well that's damn nice but what the hell does it do for me?" Tony snapped, not even trying to hide his annoyance and irritation with the Federal Agency in question. "You summarily ruined my life in one sentence and despite the fact that I have given you every proof that I am not involved, you refuse to make a statement clearing my name."

"We do apologize for that Mr. Stark and I assure you that you are no longer considered a suspect in anyway but we can't let that information out until we apprehend the suspect in question." The agent said. "That actually brings me to the reason why I phoned. When we discovered the identity of the other man in the video…a one Feda al Razul…we uncovered a coded message over our networks related to him and the Ten Rings but we can't decipher it due to its extremely complex mathematical nature. The head of the FBI was wondering if you could crack it."

"Why don't you just call the head of the math department at MIT? I am sure he would be more than willing to help." Tony snapped.

"We did," the agent replied. "And he referred us to you saying that you were the only one who would even have a chance at breaking it."

"Well thanks for the compliment but what's in this for me?" Tony countered. "As far as I'm concerned, you all have ruined my life as I know it so why the hell should I even consider helping you."

The agent paused. He was desperate. "What do you want?"

"That's a pretty open ended question." Tony spat. "First I want a personal apology…"

"The FBI does apologize for all that you have gone though…"

"Not good enough but I'll take it for now." Tony interrupted. "Give me the damned code. When this is done and I am cleared a thousand times over, I want a public apology on national TV and every major newspaper clearing my name and stating for the record that if it wasn't for me, all of you would have still had your heads up your ass." He added as he saw the code downloaded to his computer. "But as for now, don't bug me. I'll be in touch." He said as he hung up so he had the last word.

"That was tactful, Tony." Pepper said dryly as she looked up from the couch.

"I wasn't going for tact." Tony stated as he went back down to the workshop to get to work.

With all three of his computers going at full speed, Jarvis and his own infallibility when it came to mathematics, Tony had the code cracked in just a few short hours but when he cracked it and read what it said, it made his blood run cold.

"Jarvis, get the suit ready and tell Rhodey to high tail it over here. I'm going to need his help." Tony ordered. "Pepper!"

"Sir, I must insist that you do not use the suit at this time."

"And I am overriding you." Tony spat back. "Pepper!" he called out again as the bots started putting his armor on him.

"What is it?" Pepper asked a little breathlessly as she ran down the stairs at Tony's urgent screams.

"Call the feds and the NYPD and tell them I know where Razul is going to hit next. I'm going to stop him."

"Where am I telling them to go?" Pepper asked as Tony was slamming down his helmet.

"6th and 56th…New York." Tony said before he shot out into the sky at breakneck speeds, hoping that he could get there in time.

Pepper froze at first when she heard the address but recovered and snapped into professional mode and dialed Coulson.

By the time Tony and Rhodey had made it to New York, it was nearing five in the evening.

"Are you going to fill me in on what we're going into here?" Rhodey asked.

"He's going to blow up Stark Industries headquarters." Tony stated bluntly as they landed just outside of the parking garage. "And he'll do it on the evening news to get as much publicity as possible. He's a sadistic bastard who likes to be front page news."

"How did you find out about this?"

"The feds let me play with their toys and then had to beg for my help." Tony admitted. "Jarvis, give me some stats here. How many are in the building and where's our target?"

"Based on access and exit records, there are currently 632 people in the building and your target is in the middle of the parking garage with an explosive device capable of catastrophic destruction."

"Timed?"

"No, it appears to have a manual detonator."

Tony sighed deeply. This was not going to be easy. How much was he willing to sacrifice to win?

"Rhodey, I'm going to need you outside. Jarvis, turn on the fire alarm everywhere in the building except for the parking garage. We need to get these people out as quickly as possible."

"Of course sir…accessing systems now."

"What do you need me to do?" Rhodey asked as he had a sinking feeling at what Tony was going to do.

"Keep the crowds back and pull me out and bring me home if anything goes wrong." Tony said seriously as he put a hand on Rhodey's shoulder before walking forward to meet Feda al Razul.

Tony walked forward, using all of his systems to keep tabs on the situation. It seemed that al Razul was alone except for an obscene amount of explosives and his original armor with the arc reactor at the core. One false move on Tony's part could lead to a million tons on steel and concrete coming down on top of them.

"I thought all you rag heads died in the desert!" Tony called out to get al Razul's attention.

"I was wondering when you would show up. I have been expecting you."

"I doubt you would be expecting me." Tony snapped back.

"Only you and a few other minds in the entire world could have solved that puzzle. My brother was right when he described you."

"Your brother?"

"Yes…you burned half of his face off in Afghanistan with your compliments."

Tony's stomach sank and chills ran through him. Raza was Feda's brother and now he could definitely be up shit's creek. "What do you want?"

Feda smiled as he played with the detonator in his hand. "I want you to watch your golden palace crumble to the ground from the inside. A deserving fate for what you did."

"I don't die all that easy. Your brother tried to kill me a few times."

"Yes…he did…but not in this manner." Feda countered. "You Americans always like building things bigger…forgetting that sometimes they can fall with spectacular results."

"Jarvis, is everyone out of the building?" Tony whispered upon hearing what was going to happen.

"Yes sir. NYPD and FDNY as well as the FBI are waiting out front."

"Is there any way to disable part of that bomb remotely?"

"The only thing that may be possible is to scramble the radio signals from the remote detonator. There is only a 34% chance of success though, sir. Are you sure you want to take the risk?"

"The building's insured and can be replaced. The people are safe and it's time to face crazy with crazy. Hit the scrambler." Tony whispered before turning on his exterior speakers again. "Big is a relative term though. Sometimes, smaller and more decisive can work better. That's the problem with you. You think you need a ground to air missile when an automatic weapon would do just as well. A military force that is usually successful is a military force with supreme mobility."

Tony smirked inside his helmet as he raised his arm and pointed it directly at al Razul; flipping open his machine guns and opening fire as he advanced in a full run at him.

Al Razul tried to fight back with the flame throwers and small rockets but Tony was far more maneuverable in his armor rather than the original which was made out of missile casings made of solid steel.

Tony kept going at full speed, even igniting his boosters so he ran into al Razul at force to knock him on his back like a turtle flipped over on a highway.

As al Razul fell backwards, his finger depressed the detonator on the bomb. Jarvis' scrambled signal gave Tony a few precious seconds to try to stop the inevitable. He scrambled to his feet over to the device and quickly started pulling wires out of it to diffuse it. The timer started ticking down on the device, leaving no room for something calculated. The seconds seemed to fly by even faster the more that Tony tried hoping that he was getting closer to a positive solution rather than the negative…

The people outside had no idea what was going on inside Stark Industries. All they knew was the fact that the ground had shook as a muffled boom echoed though the canyons of skyscrapers and smoke and ash filled the air…


	5. Chapter 5

The mansion was quiet except for the low noise of CNN in the background as Pepper went on as usual…well as usual as she could given the circumstances. She sorted and answered the long list of emails, returned phone calls and hired a contractor and construction firm to make the necessary repairs on the Stark Industries headquarters in New York after the explosion. The house was far too quiet and working was the only thing that was keeping her from coming unglued totally at the moment.

It wasn't working though. By the third soft snick of another email hitting the inbox, Pepper snapped.

"Jarvis? Is Tony still alive up there or did he drown?" Pepper snapped.

"He is very much alive, Ms. Potts." Jarvis replied. "He says he is letting the hot water beat the bruises out of his back and shoulders."

Pepper sighed. Tony could be downright stubborn when it came to certain things and dealing with Iron Man injuries was one of them. "Would you please tell him that he knows very well that only one thing takes those bruises away better than anything else and I will gladly help him with it?"

A pause. "But Mr. Stark sends his objections to smelling like a fruit salad with a mint kicker."

"It's his choice," Pepper sighed. "He can walk around like Frankenstein for the next few days or he can suck it up and let me put the cream on his back for him." She added as she went back to work and made a few quick key strokes on her computer before going into the bathroom to grab the healing balm.

She got her answer soon enough.

Not ten minutes later, Tony was making his way down the stairs. His hair was still damp and messy from him attempting to towel dry it. The dark eggplant colored bruises on his chest, arms, ribs shoulders and back stood out in deep contrast to his slightly flushed skin from the hot water, especially since he did nothing to attempt to hide them since he was only wearing a pair of loose gray cotton lounging shorts.

"You know that you're evil, right?" Tony stated. "That wasn't nice to turn off the hot water."

"Would you have listened any other way?" Pepper replied as she scooted back on the couch to have Tony sit in front of her.

"Eventually…" Tony shot back as he eased himself on to the couch. Getting blown back by a poorly made and half detonated homemade explosive doesn't feel good but Tony did not discount the fact that if it had been one of his weapons like in London, he would have been dead and Stark Industries would be a pile of rubble.

"Like when you got hungry," Pepper teased as she took off the top of the cream and started to work the pink goo into Tony's back.

"I would have come down before that," Tony said with a grunt as Pepper worked her hands into his back as he turned up the volume on the TV.

"Out of New York today, there has been a development in the case regarding the bombing of the Royal Armory in London…" the newscaster said.

Tony and Pepper paused to hear the story.

"The director of the FBI has stated that a definitive arrest has been made in this case…"

The picture cut to a taped statement by the director of the FBI.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Today, we were able to apprehend a known terrorist and the person who was responsible for the bombing in London - Feda al Razul, a member of the Ten Rings Syndicate. We can not take full credit for the apprehension of al Razul. If it was not for the highly skilled assistance of Anthony Stark, we probably would not have caught him yet. With that, on behalf of the FBI and Interpol, we would like to publicly clear Anthony Stark of any and all involvement with this case and apologize for any undo stress or suffering that this may have caused him and his family…"

Tony gave Pepper a quick nudge to her elbow. "See? He called you family…"

"Hush Tony…I want to hear this. I'm surprised you don't." Pepper said, shushing him.

"I got what I wanted so far…" Tony stated with a smirk.

"The trial will be held in an International court with the combined charges from London and New York. Thank you, no questions at this time."

No sooner the final syllable had been uttered; Tony flipped the channel and then got up to head down to his garage, totally satisfied with what had just happened.

"Where are you going?" Pepper almost demanded when she saw tony heading for the garage. Over the two weeks that he had been ill, she had almost gotten too used to not letting him down to his workshop.

"My cars have felt very neglected over the last two weeks and I need to make sure Dummy and Butterfingers weren't fighting…not to mention the fact that I need to get about a hundred pounds of concrete dust out of my suit." Tony said with a smile as he came back up and stole a kiss from Pepper's lips. "I'm not going anywhere…I promise." He assured her before heading down the stairs.

Since he promised, Pepper could rest a little easier as she picked up her laptop again to go back to work…until she was interrupted again.

_**IronDevil44:**_** Meet me down here 7pm tonight – wear black lace/red satin dress**

_**BlazinCherryPepper:**_** Why?**

_**IronDevil44:**_** I'm owed a million dollar date. :)**

**

* * *

**

When seven o'clock came around, Pepper, in the red satin and black lace dress that she had worn to the auction, went down to Tony's workshop and stopped breathing for a moment. How he had done it without her noticing, she would never know but it definitely impressed her.

First off, Tony had cleaned. Then about two dozen roses were in a vase on his coffee table with crystal candelabras surrounding them. Two dinners from what looked like Tony's favorite Italian restaurant were set on opposite ends of the table waiting to be enjoyed as soft music started playing.

"I had to get my money's worth," Tony said softly as he stepped out of the shadows in his tuxedo.

Pepper smiled as she crossed over to him and kissed him passionately. "I think you spent too much though."

"Nah…I would have dropped a billion on you if it was necessary." Tony said as he pulled back from the kiss. "You don't know how much I have missed this over the last two weeks. Not being able to even kiss you out of fear of getting you sick was driving me insane."

"But I did promise I would make it up to you, didn't I?" Pepper said as she took Tony's hand and led him over to the plates he had set up. "But first, we'll need food if I am to make it up to you properly."

After dinner, Tony had Jarvis put the music back on as he slow danced with Pepper. A few songs had finished before Tony's eyes darkened with the deep passion that had been lying dormant while he was sick. He leaned in for a deep kiss as they danced while his hand silently unzipped Pepper's dress. Tony spun her quick and Pepper's dress slid to the floor to reveal her black lace underwear. Tony knew very well what black lace underwear meant…it was meant to be taken off.

Pepper gasped slightly when she saw what Tony had done. "Things seem to be a little unfair here," she purred as she pressed her body against his, easily feeling what she was doing to him.

"Then maybe you should even the odds…" Tony growled passionately as he kissed her again.

Without breaking the kiss, Pepper divested Tony of his tie, jacket and shirt. "Perhaps we should change locations?" Pepper suggested breathlessly.

"I'm not making it that far…" Tony said as he scooped Pepper up and took her over to the couch.

* * *

Soft morning light filtered in through the few windows in Tony's garage, bright enough to illuminate the room but not enough to disturb. Tony and Pepper were both still sound asleep on the couch, blissfully naked and still entwined under a large fleece blanket, enjoying each other's presence in sleep as much as they did in wakefulness. Nothing could ruin the moment.

Except….

"Sir? Colonel Rhodes is on the phone for you." Jarvis interjected.

Tony growled at his wake up call. "I'm going to kill him…" he muttered as he grabbed the phone to deal with the best friend who has really bad timing.


End file.
